


Of Hearts and Hollows

by Abalisk



Series: Ethos [2]
Category: Bleach, One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Dimension Travel, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abalisk/pseuds/Abalisk
Summary: A what-if scenario where Hikagami Kaiza falls into the One Piece world and meets the Heart Pirates.





	1. Chapter 1

The day had started out ordinary.

They’d been travelling non-stop for days since entering the Grand Line, keeping the  _Polar Tang_  submerged for as long as necessary, a tactic that kept the Marines from easily tracking their progress. Law didn’t want them knowing too much about their movements, a  _certain man_  was in their employ after all.

An important detail to keep in mind.

But they’d needed to restock supplies and thus docked their submarine at the nearest island to do just that.

Pinnacle Isle was a rather large spring island covered in evergreen trees and thin, spire-like rocks that rose several hundred meters in the air. The people were friendly, and though a bit understandably leery of pirates they hadn’t refused them service or made things more difficult.

And when the Heart Pirates proved they weren’t there to cause trouble, the citizens ignored them like they were any other tourist, allowing them to wait in peace for their Log Pose to set.

Everything had been going smoothly. His men were enjoying their shore leave, Bepo hadn’t once complained about how hot it was, and Law was simply enjoying the fresh air, having grown weary of the stale atmosphere cycled through the sub. He’d chosen not to go into town that day, opting to lounge with Bepo on the top deck of the  _Polar Tang_ instead of spending time with the crew, having had his fill of socializing from the past few day.

All in all, it was a peaceful afternoon…

Then a distinctive tearing noise shattered it.

Law wasn’t sure at first where it was coming from, it was like nothing he’d ever heard before… But then a choking pressure built up around him, pressing down on his body like lead weights and making his flesh quiver involuntarily. His eyes were drawn upward by some unknown instinct and he gasped just as Bepo growled and bristled behind him.

A dark maw was opening in the sky, peeling apart like old paint, splitting the air like a crooked-toothed grin and that  _sound_ … Like a zipper being pulled from the depths of hell. It was unnatural. And it made his skin crawl.

Something shot out of that macabre smile in the sky, the sound akin to clapping thunder as it hurtled to the ground. The unidentifiable shape crashed through a pillar of rock, throwing dust and debris in the air. He could hear people screaming, several houses folding into themselves as the object barreled through them, the structures toppling like dominos.

“C-captain! The crew!” Bepo shouted over the din, and Law didn’t even spare his first mate a nod, opting instead to burst into action, running as fast as his legs could carry him. His crew was there… Hell, they could really be  _anywhere_  in the town, but he had to be sure. They could be trapped. They could be injured. They could be…

He didn’t want to think about it.

The town was in chaos. People screamed as their homes began to burn and the air was stifled with dust. Law coughed, bringing up the collar of his shirt to block out most of the polluted air. Bepo shouted behind him, calling for his crew. For Shachi. For Penguin.  _Anyone!_

And then he saw  _her._

Law’s eyes had been scouting the area, trying to pick out the distinctive boiler suits that marked members of his crew, but he couldn’t help but be drawn to the crater in the middle of what used to be a clothing boutique. His throat closed when she rose out of the wreckage, starting at her knees with the rest of her torso following suit. A black, shadow-like substance anchored her arched spine to the ground, steadily pushing her up.

It was like watching a puppet try to stand with it’s arm strings cut and Law couldn’t help but shiver as the thought reminded him a bit too intimately of his former captain.

 _She_  appeared to be his polar opposite however. Doflamingo was all about flashy, eye-catching appearances, loose clothing, and bright colors… This woman on the other hand, wore tight midnight black clothing, her top was backless and–  _Holy shit are those arms?!_

The shadows that Law initially thought were pushing  _up_  the woman, were actually coming  _out_  of her back. They writhed like serpents, with fingers in the shape of wicked talons ripping away boards and other debris that got in her way. 

A single red eye glowed balefully at him, meeting his own.

Then something white smashed down on the woman and the shock wave of the clash cleared the air. People screamed as they were thrown to the ground and Law gritted his teeth while he leaned into the blast, Bepo helping to hold him down.

There was a grinding sound and a mad cackle, Law blinked away the grit from his eyes to see what looked like a man dressed in white bent over the woman, his face twisted in a bloodthirsty smirk. A sword was pressed between them, the man’s grip shuddering as he tried to press his blade closer.

The woman was stoic, several “arms” keeping the blade in place. Law couldn’t see exactly how many limbs were blocking, but he thought he counted at least ten.

“Mi  _Reina_ ,” the man cooed in a faux loving way, his expression softening just enough to show the mad obsession, “I could give you so much if you let me. Let me be King, Mi  _Reina_ , and I can give you the world. I can give you that  _boy’s_  head if you desire it! Just don’t stand in my way~”

“Denied,” she stated flatly, her “arms” flexing to throw them apart. The talons shifted down into lance-like spears, and she bombarded the man in a flurry of blows that was impossible to track, the limbs merely a blur.

He blocked or danced around them, howling all the while, his eyes wide with glee. His sword flashed and four of the woman’s “arms” toppled to the ground, severed in half. They twitched before dissipating, wisping away like grains of black sand. Men and women screeched in terror, fleeing the scene as he cut down a man that was unfortunate enough to get in his way, his momentum never ceasing even as fresh blood splattered onto his face.

The man darted to the woman’s side, intending to bisect her from the groin up, but she twisted away, smacking him aside and into the nearest building as if she were just flicking her wrist.

Her limbs coiled around her feet and Law could only watch, fascinated as her severed “arms” regenerated, bubbling and coalescing into a claw once again.

“You… human,” she murmured, catching his attention. The woman wasn’t looking at him directly, still intent upon the movements of her opponent, but he got the feeling she was addressing him anyway. “ _Leave._ ”

Law bristled at the order, about to give her a scathing retort, but was silenced by a resounding boom. Eyes widening, the only emotion he’d seen thus far on her face, the woman ducked down with a single hand upraised, redirecting a black beam. 

The sky darkened.

Law couldn’t breathe. The pressure was so great that he felt like he was getting crushed underwater. Bepo fell against him, and he could do nothing to comfort his first mate and friend. He could only stare, choking on his own saliva, while the woman fought against the attack, her teeth gritted against pain as it tore through her arm.

She flashed away, disappearing as if she hadn’t even been there.

He was confused… he hadn’t blinked he was sure…

Then Law was flying, the ground and all the buildings disappearing into a formless blur. Someone was carrying him. A fuzzy white paw in front of his face, assured him that Bepo was also there with him… he wasn’t moving. Law took a breath…

It felt like that was his first breath in a long time.

His breathing got easier the further away they fled and Law had to wonder how far their benefactor was willing to take them. The sky was still dark, and he could still hear that persistent buzzing of the laser, the ocean erupting with explosions as the beam hit the water.

He still couldn’t get the man in white’s cackling out of his head.

Law grunted when he and Bepo were thrown unceremoniously to the ground, and he cursed at the treatment. His angry exclamations died in his throat the moment his eyes took in the woman. She was panting, her canines longer than he’d expected as she open-mouthed gasped, staring at the dome of darkness on the other side of the island.

The arm she’d used to redirect the beam was gone. Cut off at the shoulder.

“That madman,” she wheezed, sweat dripping down her brow, “Using a  _Cero Oscuras_ … he really does intend to kill me…”

“Oi, lady–” Law started but cut himself off when her eyes shot to his, a dangerous gleam pinning him in place.

“You cannot _afford_  to be idle here. Evacuate immediately,” she announced, wincing when one of her shadow limbs probed at her severed shoulder socket. “I cannot protect civilians and fight Vargas at the same time.”

“I’m not leaving without my crew!” Law barked, standing up to stare her down. She was a few inches shorter than him, the top of her head only just reaching his chin.

Yet, despite her shorter height, she felt… larger. Like her presence was simply greater.

Bepo groaned.

Her eyes narrowed, going out of focus for a moment. “There are living humans close to the leading edge of the blast radius…” she murmured, closing her eyes to concentrate on what Law could only guess at, “and others further into the island… fleeing.” Eyelids snapping back open, she glowered at him, that left eye of hers glowing with a menacing aura. “Many have already perished in the  _Cero’s_  wake… Are you certain that your friends live?”

Law clenched his fists,  _Kikoku’s_  sheath groaning under the pressure.

“I-I can smell them,” Bepo said weakly, catching their attention. The polar bear Mink sat up, his eyes drooping a bit as his arms shook with effort. “T-they came… they came this way! The trail’s still fresh!”

The woman inclined her head at the Mink. “Then that is where you should be heading,” she murmured, her eyes flicking to Law’s, “And do not stop once you reach them, if you can escape the island… do so.”

“What about you?” Law asked, giving a significant look to her missing arm.

“What of me?” she retorted, and Law sucked in a breath as her probing shadow hands latched onto her wound, knitting and weaving together in a flurry of wiggling movement. He blanched when they formed together into a perfect jet replica of her missing limb, the dark material shimmering like the shell of a beetle. “I am more than well equipped to deal with my opponent,” she stated confidently, flexing the newly formed limb experimentally.

Law gulped. “Who–  _What_  are you?” he wondered, intrigued, and intimidated all at once.

She blinked at him, seemingly unperturbed by his rude question. “Hikagami Kaiza,” she murmured, finally looking away to stare grimly at the soon to be battlefield, “And I don’t know… I suppose I’m just some kind of monster.”

Snorting at that, Law tapped  _Kikoku_  on his shoulder, a wry smirk curling his lips. “I dunno Kai-ya… Monsters typically don’t help people.”

“Then you’ve met the wrong kind,” Kaiza whispered, her expression blank. 

Law’s smile widened and opened his mouth the say something smart, but froze when she did something strange.

She reached a hand to her sternum and pressed three fingers there, the digits sinking into her flesh.

Her pink lips parted…

“Speak.  _ **Kuroihana.**_ ”


	2. Chapter 2

Law was shaken… Unable to believe his eyes. He even went so far as to pinch himself just to be sure he wasn’t dreaming.

The woman–Kaiza–was in the process of pulling a sword out of her chest, the blade black as night with an inky ichor dripping off of it to the ground. A hole twisted open on her exposed back, perfectly round, and punching all the way through her body, allowing Law to see the very tip of the blade poised where her sternum should have been on the other side.

There were no visible organs… just a ring of darkness.

“Go… Find your friends,” Kaiza murmured, the arm holding her sword relaxing at her side. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, the red glowing ethereally in the shade of the forest. “I will keep Vargas occupied.”

“What…” Law whispered, staring at the plain katana, then the hole, then back at the blade. “What the hell is…?”

“This?” she questioned with a raised brow, tilting the sword toward him, “Is  _Kuroihana_ , my Zanpakuto.”

He gave a short disbelieving laugh, all at once amused and frustrated, shaking his head. That didn’t even begin to cover it. He had absolutely no context for… for _this_.  _For everything._  The hole. The sword. The limbs… It didn’t look at all like a devil fruit that he’d ever seen. “That doesn’t explain  _anything_ , Kai-ya…”

She shook her head in turn, giving him an admonishing look before walking away. “No time.”

And then she vanished in a flash.

An explosion rocked the earth shortly after, nearly throwing Law and Bepo off their feet as the shock waves rolled over them. A crimson sphere of energy billowed at the source of the blast, annihilating everything it touched. Law could just barely make out black and white blurs as the opponents fought… On the ground… In the air… Swords clashing in a ringing symphony of steel.

The atmosphere still felt stifling, but it wasn’t as much of a crushing weight as before. The brief glimpses Law caught of Vargas showed that he’d taken on a more animalistic appearance, white armor covering his body in much the same way as Kaiza’s arm.

Kaiza. She danced with a storm of swords. Graceful and lethal. Law thought he was hallucinating at first, but with every swing of her blade there was a rippling after-image of  _Kuroihana_ , slicing through the air and apparently just as sharp as the main blade.

It flowed around her like water…

Law shook his head to clear it.

“Let’s go find the others Bepo.”

“Aye, Captain!”

–

Penguin and Shachi were weeping when Bepo found them further up the mountain, holding on to each other with fat tears running down their cheeks as they watched the town’s destruction below. The others were in a similar state, only more shell-shocked with trembling lips.

Law understood… They’d never seen destruction on this scale.  _He_  hadn’t… Not even Flevance could be considered to even be remotely on the same level.

It was unprecedented.

The ground rumbled underfoot and trees swayed with ominous creaks. Sounds of crackling thunder rolled through the sky as the colliding forces of the two otherworldly beings clashed. Rays and lines of energy flashed out and carved out entire chunks of the island, parting the sea to expose the ocean floor.

 _If Kai-ya loses,_  Law thought, watching in awe as another beam scorched through the bank of churning clouds, parting the sky in a crimson wave,  _Then we’ll all die… won’t we?_

They had to get out of there.

“Bepo!” he shouted over the cacophony, catching the Mink’s attention, “Get everyone rounded up, we’re heading back to the  _Polar Tang_!”

“B-b-but Captain,” Ikkaku, his only female crew member, sputtered, shaking even as the other men clung to either side of her, “The s-sub is– is down _there_!” She pointed to the docks, which was edging a bit too close to the fighting pair. There were several other ships around it already filled to the brim with people, all attempting to flee the carnage.

Law’s lips thinned. “We have no choice, that’s the only way out of here. And if we stay on this island any longer, those two will destroy it! We have to get out of here as fast as we can.”

His crew was silent, staring at him with grim faces before turning to look as another eruption tore through a series of pinnacle rocks in the distance, vaporizing them completely. They knew he was right…

They sprinted down the mountain, racing to reach the docks where hundreds of people were still milling about, weeping and yowling in panic, trying to push themselves and their belongings onto the few remaining ships. Many were already on the water, sunk low because they were overloaded with passengers. Several people were even clambering all over the  _Polar Tang,_  though it wouldn’t do them any good.

“Move it! Move it!”

“They’ll kill us all!”

“Get on the boat, Hank!  _I said get on!_ ”

“Please someone– _Anyone!_  Take my son with you! He’s only three years old!”

“Mommy?!”

The sheer amount of noise was deafening, the panicked voices of Pinnacle Isle’s populace creating a roaring clamor. Being in the thick of it, Law had to grit his teeth as he and his crew shoved their way through the wailing mass of humanity. A selfish part of him wanted to just cut through the crowd, to get them out of his way…

But another side… One that was just a scared little boy watching as his family’s hospital burned, understood  _exactly_  how these people felt.

Trapped like rats. Surrounded on all sides. Nowhere to run.

It was all too familiar.

 _Maybe… Maybe we can take a few,_  Law thought, clenching the sheath of his sword as he attempted to do weight capacity calculations in his head. It was difficult due to the hundreds of voices screaming in his ears.

A resounding crash fractured the earth beneath his feet and he stumbled from the impact. People shrieked in terror, scattering like mice to the four winds, trampling over each other in feral fear. Law and his crew stayed in place, creating a wall of bodies with the larger men to protect the smaller ones.

Law squinted through the chaos, trying to pick out who or what had caused the collision. A feminine figure rose from the clouds of dust and smoke, and Law let out a breath of relief at the sight of Kaiza, glad that it hadn’t been the other one.

His relief was short lived however.  _If she’s here, then…_

Her head whipped around, mismatched eyes catching his.

They widened.

And then she was next to him, arm pressing him back and her sword raised high, the blade pointed to the ground. “ **Fourth Song: Prohibition!** ” she cried, stabbing the sword into the rock.

Law felt the hairs on his body stand on end, energy crackling around him. A series of black lines sprung and wove outward in an array from the sword’s planted point, blooming like flower petals. They curled up and around them in a dome, layers upon layers of petals forming on top of each other, like a lotus flower.

Then the ray hit.

His crew screamed when everything went dark, the attack–he remembered she called it  _Cero Oscuras_ –split in twain as it struck the petal walls. Law expected to feel the overwhelmingly crushing pressure like the last time he was so close to the beam, but was surprised that he was unaffected.

 _Must be the barrier,_  he mused, looking around to see that his crew, and a few lucky stragglers to get caught within the bounds of the lotus, were panicked but fine.

Then one of the outer petals cracked.

Law sucked in a breath and glanced at Kaiza, concern pinching his brows. She looked pale, her skin suffused with beading sweat as a look of concentration pinched her features. Her red eye was dull and her breath was coming out in short gasps.

She was on the end of her rope.

The petal disintegrated and the next few started spider-webbing with fractures.

So Law did the first thing that he could think of…

“ _ **ROOM,**_ ” he intoned, his sphere of influence expanding. He wasn’t exactly certain what he was going to do with it, because while he  _could_  transport the people within the barrier to somewhere outside, he didn’t know how far the laser extended.

And there was a very good chance that he’d drop them right in the middle of the blast.

He didn’t get that far. For the moment his sphere touched the leading edge of the barrier, the damage halted and the cracks slowly receded.

Law blinked at the new development.

“Spatial Distortion,” Kaiza murmured with interest, her breaths evening out, “An interesting trick.”

“Do you think your shield will hold?” Law questioned, turning to see her still gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, her knuckles pale. He noticed that her recreated arm had almost fully retained its fleshy appearance, the last bits of armor flaking off the reveal new skin underneath.

Her lips thinned into a line and she stood, removing her sword from the ground. The lotus remained behind, continuing to protect them. “For a time. But it’s doubtful it will remain for long once Vargas grows frustrated enough,” she stated, letting out a sigh, “And I myself am already at my limit.”

Law frowned. “I thought you said you could beat him.”

“I said nothing of the sort,” Kaiza retorted, closing her eyes and rolling her shoulders and neck, “I merely stated I would keep him occupied. But without a sufficient source of power, my avenues are limited.”

“Source of power?” Law asked, eyes narrowing as she turned her sword over, inspecting every detail, her fingers tracing the flat of the blade, “What do you mean?”

“My powers,” she started, mismatched eyes flicking up to meet his, “Are parasitic in nature. I am required to feed on other powerful beings in order to sustain my own strength.” When Law tensed at that admission, she shook her head and turned away. “No, you are not viable. It’s people with high spiritual presences that I require.”

Looking off into the distance, her eyes went hazy, like before when she’d searched for survivors. Law wondered how she was doing that. “From what I can tell, there is no one with significant power here aside from Vargas, and there is no way I would escape that unscathed.”

“So that’s it? We’re done?” Law questioned, a cold feeling settling over him. Distantly he realized that the sky had cleared, meaning that the  _Cero Oscuras_  had finished, but was too focused on this grim news to pay it any mind. In the background he could hear his crew discussing amongst themselves, in quiet, fearful tones.

_Is this where my journey ends, Cora-san?_

“Not quite,” Kaiza muttered, making him jump at the coincidental answer, and she turned to give him a searching look, “How much mass can you manipulate with your power?”

Law blinked, surprised by the question. No one had ever asked him before. “I can stall a Marine warship and lift it about a meter out of the water.” It also made him dog tired if he held it for too long, the telekinetic manipulation taking its toll on his body and mind. But he wasn’t going to tell her that. “Why?”

“I have a way to end this,” Kaiza announced, caressing  _Kuroihana_  with a contemplative look, her eyes roving up and down the blade like she’d never seen it before. Or maybe… Like she was memorizing it. “But it requires an incantation… which takes time.”

“What do you need me to d–” he began asking, but flinched when a loud crash sounded behind him. He jerked around to see a very canine-like Vargas sneering down at them, his white-clawed fists beating relentlessly against the barrier.

“When the paling falls, hold him in place,” she replied, walking to the middle of the shield’s array and stood with her sword in a neutral position, both hands gripping the hilt, “For as long as possible…”

Law felt sweat drip down his temple and slide over his jawline, his eyes pinned to the man… the creature before him. Vargas had a hole in his chest… just like Kaiza did.

Then he heard her say, “ **Let this silence be mine… Oh, mighty Lord.** ”

He looked to her and was surprised to see Kaiza pressing her forehead against the flat of the blade. An intimate gesture…

Like she was saying goodbye.

“ ** **Six hands above the crucible,**** ” she chanted, voice resonating with power. It billowed outward, engulfing the entire confines of the shield, a soft whisper. She ran a finger up to the tip of the blade, a gentle caress.

Blood dripped from her fingertip, sliding smoothly down the metal. “ ** **Molding fires of time and memory.**** ”

The metal rippled…

Another clatter of sound jolted Law out of his reverie and he reluctantly turned away from the ritual, watching as yet more cracks appeared in the outer petals. Vargas hadn’t let up.

“ ** **Stolen essence of a darkened moon,**** ” A subtle shift in the air, the stones under their feet shivering.

One layer of the barrier shattered.

Law chanced a glance back at Kaiza and nearly choked on his own breath. Her “arms” were sunk deep into the metal of the blade, somehow blending seamlessly. Kaiza’s expression was pinched… Pained, like the process physically hurt her.

“ ** **And the weeping alabaster earth,**** ” she hissed, her eyes scrunched shut, as a black armor coated her arms and torso, spines and spikes rising from her shoulders.

Vargas’ attacks became more frantic, practically digging at the barrier with his claws. Biting, scratching, tearing…

“ ** **Icon of man… dreaming a farce…**** ” The barriers crumbled under the onslaught, the beastly creature forcing his face, then an arm through the hole. 

“Kaizaaaaa!” Vargas roared, his yellow eyes wide, he twisted and bucked through the hole.

“ _Takt!_ ” Law shouted, pressing his hand forward, the force of his telekinetic push stunning the beast in place. A pain shot through Law’s head and he grunted at the exertion. He hadn’t perfected the technique yet.

“ ** **A broken mirror unreflecting,**** ” Kaiza wheezed, her voice becoming faint.

Vargas snarled at him, the growl distinctly animalistic. “Get out of my way, you filth!” he hissed, arms quaking as he fought against the force. 

“ ** **Upon the seat of the sea…**** ”

Law growled, wincing as his head gave a particularly pained throb. A coppery smell filled his nostrils and he felt warm blood drip over his lips.

Then Kaiza was there.

Her sword… plunged deep into Vargas’ stomach, a grim expression on her face.

“ ** _Final Song: Kuroi Hana no Shiroi Uroko._** ” 

The lotus shattered and Vargas howled. Black energy–deeper than any he’d ever seen–erupted from the blade and sucked in the surrounding light, pushing in and tearing through the man’s body. Kaiza quivered, her face twisted in pain, crimson trails lining the corners of her mouth. 

She screamed.

Her armor ripped away, bombarding Vargas in a full-body onslaught, separating from her body like oil in water. It ran in rivulets from her back, her shoulders, her face…

A spectral creature with a single glowing eye erupted from the woman, all wicked horns and snarling teeth. Vargas cried out in terror, the beast reaching for his face with a clawed hand…

And then they vanished. A cloud of black dust motes and Kaiza were the only things that remained.

She dropped to the ground in a heap.

Law rushed to her side, heedless of the concerned calls of his crew, he could hear their clomping footsteps as they drew closer, but he couldn’t focus on them now. She looked pale and he rolled her onto her back gently, cautious of any internal wounds.

The hole in her chest was gone.

Her eyes were distant and hazy, the red one turned to a dim burgundy, it’s internal light extinguished. She didn’t appear to be breathing and Law pressed an ear close to her mouth to listen.

It was faint, but she gave a shallow breath. Better than nothing.

He placed a hand on her cheek, keeping her head from lolling to the side. “Kai-ya, can you hear me?” he murmured, ignoring the whispering of his crew. They stood around them, blocking them out from any other curious bystanders. “Kai-ya!”

Mismatched eyes flickered to meet his. Focusing. “Is…” she croaked, her voice barely audible, “Is it done?”

Law smiled faintly. “Yeah… I think so. Unless he can come back from being atomized.”

She hummed, blinking languidly, her pupils going in and out of focus. Law furrowed his brows when she raised a shaky arm, pressing her palm gently onto his cheek.

Her hand was cold.

“Is this what it feels… to be human?” Kaiza breathed.

And then she went limp.


	3. Chapter 3

Law sat slouched in the nearest chair, his fingers threaded together as he observed the woman sleeping peacefully in the  _Polar Tang’s_  ICU. Monitors beeped and whirred, tracking her vitals as she breathed calmly through the oxygen mask.

It’d been a week since the Pinnacle Isle incident, and Kaiza still slept.

She didn’t show any signs of distress or deterioration, her readings were all normal. Scanning with his devil fruit yielded no negative results and her blood work all came back clean. Her eyes would occasionally twitch beneath their lids, but that was normal… and a good sign. It meant she was dreaming.

It meant at least, that her brain was active.

His crew were skittish and reluctant to enter the medical bay with their new ‘guest,’ remembering the hand she had in the numerous scars on the island. They were intimidated by her power… worried that if she woke up she’d turn on them.

Law thought it was nonsense.

“ _She saved our lives… Why go through all the trouble, only to kill us now?_ ” he’d reasoned. No one had a cohesive argument to that, and all dissenting comments–at least, those within earshot–died.

The only one of the crew who seemed remotely interested or invested in her recovery, was Bepo. His Mink companion came in every day–sometimes even several times a day–to talk with the unconscious woman. Usually, it was to discuss completely mundane things, but occasionally he’d reminisce about his past… His journey to find Zou… Meeting Shachi, Penguin, and him for the first time…

Upon asking why he did so, Bepo replied, “ _I just get the feeling, if I talk with her… Maybe it’ll make her happy and she’ll wake up!_ ”

“ _Happy?_ ” Law had questioned, raising a brow at the almost childish reason, “ _What makes you think she’s unhappy?_ ”

Bepo apologized, because of course he did, before pressing his paws together sheepishly. “ _Well… Happy people don’t call themselves monsters, do they?_ ”

He hadn’t really had a response for that.

 _What exactly are you, Hikagami Kaiza?_  Law wondered, idly watching the rhythmic rise and fall of the slumbering woman’s chest, the oxygen mask hissing in time with each exhale. He stood, his spine giving a few audible pops as a result of sitting in the same position for too long. A glance at the clock above the door showed that it was nearly one in the morning.

“Damn it…” Law grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck to release some of the tension there. He’d been staring into space for over an hour now. 

What with his concern over the mysterious woman’s survival and trying to mentally unravel her mystique, he’d begun to neglect his duties slightly. He needed to get back on track, and log his crews’ reports for the sub’s supplies and maintenance… they’d begun to pile up on his desk due to his distraction.

Sighing, he scrubbed a hand under his hat and through his hair, grimacing when his fingers came away oily.  _Need to add ‘shower’ to the list,_  he thought,  before he picking up Kikoku and making his way out of the medical bay.

Law paused at the door when there came a low whimper.

He glanced back.

Kaiza’s brow was pinched, her breathing irregular. Law dashed over to her heart monitor, eyeing the readings that said her heart rate had elevated. It wasn’t at a dangerous level, but it was certainly more activity than he’d seen from her in the past week. Her eyes were flicking and rolling under their lids, scrolling back and forth.

She was dreaming… maybe even having a nightmare.

He let out a breath of relief.

“Kai-ya,” he whispered, leaning in a little to hover over her face, refraining from touching her directly just in case it woke the woman in a panic, “It’s only a dream, Kai-ya.”

No response. 

The mewling noises continued.

Hesitantly, Law placed a gentle hand on her forehead, smoothing back her bangs. It’d been many years now, but he remembered that his mother… and Cora-san used to do this when they thought he’d been sleeping. He recalled that it’d been soothing… enough so that he would fall asleep with the other person none the wiser.

His initial touch made her stiffen as he’d expected, but the the moment he began carding his fingers through her hair, she visibly relaxed, mumbling incoherently.

Then she muttered the one word he hadn’t been expecting, “Papa…”

Law stiffened and removed his hand like he’d been burned, his body flushing hot briefly in embarrassment. “Not even close,” he grunted, feeling strangely disgruntled and shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

 _Just what the hell am I doing…?_  he wondered, eyes flicking over her facial scar and her peaceful expression before whipping around to make a hasty exit, his hand snapping out to shut off the light.

He needed to get his shit together.

–

And of course, when Kaiza finally decided to return to the realm of consciousness, it had to be at the most inconvenient time.

It’d been a few days since that awkward moment in the infirmary and Law was keeping his distance. He forced his crew to give him reports on her well-being (mostly to make them get over their ridiculous fear), while he locked himself in his cabin to complete his paperwork.

Then he got the call that a rival pirate vessel had been spotted above them.

At his go ahead, his crew had jumped at the chance. It’d been a long time since they’d been able to fully cut loose and go on a proper raid, and Law figured it was about time they cut their teeth on the Grand Line. To start making waves as it were.

They were making headway, the enemy pirates were almost routed, their ship was practically unseaworthy now with the main sails torn off. All that remained was taking down their captain and Law was taking his time toying with him, enjoying the rush.

Then the  _Polar Tang’s_  hatch opened.

All heads swiveled to stare at the door and gape at the woman who stood there, her medical gown billowing in the wind.

Law gawked, finding it surprising that she was already walking around after a week of unconsciousness.  _Her muscles should have atrophied at the very least due to inactivity,_  he thought, eyes flicking over her body, searching for any signs of tremors or weakness.  _How is she walking so soon?_

She was glancing about curiously, her mismatched eyes tracing over the railings, the ocean, and his crew before giving him an owlish blink. “Am I interrupting?”

He didn’t have an answer for her, still too stunned to even make a sound.

The hatch closed behind her with a resounding  _clang_.

The rival captain lunged while he was distracted, grabbing a fistful of Kaiza’s robes and hoisting her into the air in front of him. He cackled, brandishing his cutlass at her mildly surprised face. “Give it up, Rookie! I got your woman… If you don’t want me to scar up her other eye, you’ll let my men take over your ship and–”

Law chuckled darkly, cutting off the man mid-sentence, completely amused by the poor attempt at intimidation. No doubt, Kaiza could easily take care of the idiot… He was practically an ant in comparison to her in terms of raw power, so far out of his depth that Law almost felt sorry for the guy.

Almost.

The other man, however, was apoplectic. “What the hell are you laughing at?! I’m not kidding, I will cut her–”

“That woman holds more power than even your tiny brain can imagine,” Law murmured, swinging Kikoku up and tapping the blade against his shoulder. His grin widened when the man just gave him a confused look. “She can decimate an entire island single-handedly.”

The man paled.

Law smirked.

Kaiza deadpanned, “If I may interject…”

Both men glanced at the woman dangling like a limp noodle in the larger captain’s grasp.

“I feel it’s prudent to point out that the effects of ‘ _The Final Song_ ’ have siphoned, if not completely quashed my spiritual reserves,” she explained flatly, like there wasn’t a blade looming precariously close to her nose.

The rival captain looked stumped, caught out of the loop.

Law, on the other hand, frowned, not liking the implications she was insinuating. “So, you’re stuck?” he questioned.

“Correct.”

“No powers whatsoever?”

“None.”

“Will they come back?”

“…An unfortunate caveat of that technique… No.”

He scowled thunderously, his eyes boring holes into the troublesome woman, before he turned his glare to the other captain who was starting to look more confident by the minute.

Eyebrow twitching, Law raised his hand and growled, “ **ROOM.** ”

–

“You are angry.”

Law glowered, disregarding her statement and continuing to wrap the finishing touches of gauze around Kaiza’s arm. They were back in the infirmary, the both of them now sitting in chairs as Law tended to his guest’s newest wound.

The other crew had been dealt with, their ship looted, and their captain cut into  _Shambled_  pieces. He should have felt good about it. He should have been soaking in the pride he felt for a job well done.

But he wasn’t.

His frown deepened.

“It was not my intention to cause you distress.”

“I’m  _not_  distressed,” Law grumbled, tying off the end with probably a little more force than necessary. 

To her credit, Kaiza didn’t even flinch, but she did mutter a flat, robotic “ow” in response. Her brows were pinched, and she stared at her wound like she expected something different to happen.

She prodded at it with her other hand.

Law slapped it away, exasperated. “Stop poking it, you idiot,” he snarled.

“Normally, it’s healed by now,” she informed him, ignoring his annoyed glare. Kaiza twisted her arm this way and that as she inspected his handiwork, though most likely she was focusing on the sensation of her injury pulling as she moved it. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had to wear bandages…”

His lips thinned and he grabbed her wrist. “Stop moving it like that, you’ll tear the stitches.”

“Oh…”

At that simple sound, he finally couldn’t hold it back anymore. “What the hell were you thinking, jumping in front of his sword like that?” Law asked, his voice harsh as he stared into her eyes. 

He could almost see it, the moment where one of the enemy crew members ran to stab Penguin in the back…

And then she was there between them, an arm raised up to block the blade.

“I was thinking of preventing your friend from receiving a grievous injury,” Kaiza stated simply, gazing back at him. A challenge. He kept expecting her red eye to emit a glow, like it had when they first met, but instead it remained dark, confirming his suspicions that it’s internal light was connected to her powers. “I had anticipated that my  _Hierro_  would protect me from the mundane weapon.”

Law didn’t know what that was… but he could guess that it had something to do with her skin, if the way she’d attempted to block the stab had been any indication. “You thought that,” he began, growling as his incredulousness turned back into seething anger, “Even after you just informed everyone that you’re  _powers were gone?_ ”

“Ah…” She blinked in apparent surprise, then her eyes narrowed as she finally broke eye contact, glancing away. “Yes… It would appear I’d forgotten in the moment.”

He gritted his teeth in frustration, wanting very much to cut something.

Instead, he closed his eyes and took a calming breath in through his nose.

“What is this ‘ _Hierro_ ’ you were talking about?” Law asked, curious about her former abilities and very much wanting to change the subject. It’d do his nerves good to focus on something else… and not on the image of her pained face as her arm was being impaled by a sheet of steel.

“ _Hierro_ is…” Kaiza started before trailing off in a pause, her expression twisting into something akin to confusion… then her face softened, making a strange, throaty hum or purr. “That feels nice…” she murmured, glancing down at his hand that was still wrapped gingerly around the wrist of her wounded arm, his thumb tracing circles in her skin.

Law dropped it faster than a burning coal and grabbed up the nearest pencil, spinning it around his fingers and feeling just a bit betrayed by his own body.  _Her skin’s really smooth,_  he thought, before clearing his throat in embarrassment. “You were saying?”

Kaiza’s face cleared to her typical neutral state. “Right.  _Hierro_  or ‘Steel Skin’ is a concentration of the user’s spiritual power in the flesh, creating a defensive buffer against outside forces, be it a blade or an energy based attack. All Arrancar level Hollows utilize this defensive technique.”

He blinked at the new terms, before his eyes narrowed upon remembering one of her previous statements. He jabbed the pencil’s eraser at her. “You told me on Pinnacle Isle that you didn’t know what you were, that you were some kind of monster…”

“Correct,” she stated, seemingly unperturbed by his suspicion. Though he got the feeling she didn’t get agitated by most things. “My physiology is more complex and cannot be properly classified. While I do have traits of an Arrancar, there are many other factors that preclude me from being labelled as such.”

Sighing, he shook his head and used the pencil to scratch at his scalp.  _That didn’t explain anything… No context at all…_  he thought, while out loud he said, “Alright… You’re going to have to explain this all from the beginning, because I have absolutely no idea what these ‘Arrancars’ or ‘Hollows’ are… or even a damn thing about what you mean by ‘spiritual power.’”

Kaiza tilted her head like a bird, a quizzical gesture. “Interesting… I had thought, seeing as you were actually able to ‘see’ Vargas, that you were acquainted with the spirit realm.”

A chill ran up Law’s spine and he felt his stomach clench in anxiety, his fingers mirroring the sensation as he squeezed the pencil in a white-knuckled grip.  _She can’t mean… what I think she means._  “What do you mean by ‘see?’” he asked faintly, feeling a little ill.

Without missing a beat she said, “Vargas was an Arrancar… a Hollow.” When he continued to stare at her uncomprehendingly, she added, “Hollows are the corrupted souls of the dead.”

The pencil snapped.


	4. Chapter 4

“I’d forgotten what being cold was like.”

Law turned his head to stare at the woman by his side, her brunette locks whipping behind her like a flag as the  _Polar Tang_ drew closer to port. Large white flakes of snow swirled between them, catching on the wool fabric of her sweater and dampening her bangs. She had a hand upraised, her eyes watching intently as the snow melted on her bare palm.

“Did they not have snow where you’re from?” he asked, genuinely curious.

She trilled low in her throat, a sign he found meant that she was amused by something, even if her face didn’t change to reflect that. “Of course. As a child, I enjoyed it very much in the world of the living. Hueco Mundo, on the other hand, was woefully devoid of weather patterns.”

“I see…” he murmured, eyes flicking over her face, picking out the faint flush on her cheeks from the chill and the way some of the snowflakes stuck to her lashes.

Hueco Mundo… Soul Society… Hollows… Shinigami…

It didn’t sound real, no matter how many times he ran her explanation over in his mind.

To think, somewhere out there in another reality, there existed a world where the entire balance of the physical realm was decided by–of all things–a bureaucracy in the afterlife. Soldiers of the dead… fighting an eternal war with monsters born from despair. 

It sounded like a horrid dystopia. 

But from what Kaiza described, non-spiritually aware beings lived perfectly normal, ignorant lives– _happy_ even–completely unknowing of the horrors that existed parallel to them in the spirit realms. They had cities that housed millions of people, with countries that encompassed entire continents.

He hadn’t known what those were… but then she told him they were like islands with land that extended for thousands of kilometers.

Law couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Kaiza gave a full body shiver.

His mouth quirked in a smile. “Cold?”

“Ah,” she agreed, still staring at her hand, which had turned pink and was quaking minutely, “My skin won’t stop quivering, is that normal?”

“Very,” he stated in wry amusement, before finally sighing in exasperation and unzipping his long black coat to hold it open on one side, “Come here.”

She complied with probably more enthusiasm than was appropriate for such a stoic woman, shoving herself right into his armpit and wrapping her arms around his waist… But then again, Law found that Kaiza seemed to be extremely touch-starved. The otherworlder welcomed physical contact from him and his crew with literal open arms, a penchant that–annoyingly, but not unexpected in the least–Penguin and Shachi took avid advantage of.

He didn’t mind so much when she cuddled Bepo…

Law stiffened and sucked in a breath when he felt spidery fingers flutter under the hem of his shirt, and he slapped a hand over hers to keep them from moving further. “Kai-ya your hands are cold,” he growled in protest, his torso already breaking out in gooseflesh from the contact.

“And you are warm,” she replied, heedless of his discomfort and nuzzling further into his coat and against his chest. Law grumbled, but didn’t push her away, knowing that the action was purely therapeutic for her.

Still didn’t stop him from feeling just a bit embarrassed, even as he reached a hand out to close the fabric around them both, effectively cocooning them in warmth.

A couple of giggles from behind made him whip his head around to glower at the offenders, spotting Ikkaku and Clione sneaking a peek through the hatch. They blanched at his murderous expression, murmuring quick apologies before the door snapped shut, rightfully fleeing from his ire.

The  _Polar Tang_  let out a hiss as they braked next to the dock, the jets along of the front of the ship slowing its momentum. Kaiza poked her head out of the coat to give the air a tentative sniff, a frown gracing her features when she inevitably came up with nothing.

Law gave an amused chuckle. “You told me before that your other senses have dulled, Kai-ya. Did you forget again?”

She chuffed at him, her brows pinching in annoyance while she sunk deeper into his coat to sulk. “I don’t like it. It’s like the world is… dull.”

“I doubt it can be made brighter by smelling fish guts and sewage,” he replied drolly, taking her shoulder to guide her to the gangplank that Bepo had lowered.

Kaiza gave a noncommittal hum, her expression blank.

“First order of business is to get you some winter gear and any other clothes you need,” Law stated, his boot heels tapping against the metal ramp as they crossed, Kaiza’s footfalls nearly silent in comparison, “And then, I need to gather some medical supplies… Bepo!”

“Yes, Captain!” the bear mink called, standing at attention.

Law reached into the inner pocket of the coat to pull out a list, brandishing the paper at his first mate. “Coordinate the crew in gathering food and any other supplies on this list. Pay special attention to non-perishables; we’re running out.”

“You can count on me, Captain!” Bepo barked, saluting before bolting back to the interior of the sub.

“Is Bepo always so… energetic?” Kaiza asked, quirking a brow as the loud voice of the bear mink could be heard faintly on the dock.

He smirked in response and shook his head. “No, he just likes to order the others around. Just wait until we stay in the sub for a month or better yet reach a summer island, you’ll see a different side to him then.”

She gave another hum, an indication that she had nothing left to say on the matter. “I’m curious,” she said, as they ambled along the docks, through the throng of fishermen and sailors, and directly onto the main thoroughfare. “Why not have me wear a boiler suit, like the others?”

Law raised his brows, eyes flicking down to meet her mismatched ones. “I didn’t think you’d want one. Didn’t really seem to fit your style.”

Kaiza blinked and glanced down at her turtleneck, picking at the dark fabric thoughtfully. “Style?”

“Your clothes upon entering this world were more formfitting and appeared geared for stealth,” Law explained, understanding her confusion. She didn’t appear to be one that bothered with keeping up on current fashion trends, so she probably misunderstood his meaning.

“Ah,” she said simply, nodding in confirmation, “Yoruichi-sensei was always adamant about not wearing excessive cloth, as it can make too much noise or an enemy can grab onto it.”

He nodded in turn, rounding them around a corner, his sights set on the nearest clothing boutique when Kaiza opened her mouth again.

“Though most times she was naked after transforming from a cat, so I’m unsure about her reliability.”

Law nearly face-planted them both into a snow drift.

–

Kaiza was glaring at the clothing rack, her mouth cut into a thin line.

Law was glowering just as hard at the sales clerk, his thumb edging against the the guard on Kikoku, his temper flaring. “At what part of, ‘We don’t want it,’ do you not understand, old man?”

The clerk rubbed his hands and bowed repeatedly, his face twisted into an faux apologetic sneer. “I just figured since you appeared to be finished with your…  _mundane_  purchases, that you might want to look around!” he simpered, his expression turning into something more sympathetic and pitying, “I mean,  _really_ , no wonder your woman never smiles if you can’t satisfy her nee– _GLURK!_ ”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll feed you your liver,” Law seethed, his hand clenched tightly over the idiot’s throat.

It was normally never a problem for Law to linger in the women’s intimates section of a clothing store, he’d done it plenty of times with his mother and sister when he was younger, and hadn’t minded at all for Ikkaku when the woman requested an escort. Usually he’d just wait it out with a book in hand, keeping himself preoccupied while business was being taken care of…

But this time was different.

Practically the moment they entered the store, this old geezer showed up and dogged Kaiza’s heels, offering suggestions and shoving racy attire into her hands with a perverse grin all the way. Kaiza ignored or politely declined every time, brushing him off with ease and without even showing if it perturbed her.

He would have left it at that.  _She can take care of herself,_  he thought,  _she’ll be fine._

That was his thought, until the man gave a caress down her arm as he rang her up at the registrar, a visible shudder running through her body at the contact.

And before he knew it, he had Kaiza pulled back to his side with an arm thrown around her shoulders, his eyes trying to burn holes into the clerk’s skull. Something feral had reared up in his mind and all he could think of in that moment was defending what was  _his_.

…So of course the man assumes they’re lovers and here they stand.

He tightened his grip on the man’s throat.

“Law-taichou.”

A pause. Law flicked his eyes to Kaiza, who held a short, semi-translucent gown in her hands. He felt his body flush with heat at the sight of it, knowing that the material wouldn’t hide a thing if worn.

“I like the fabric of this, do you think there’s enough to be repurposed into a scarf?” she asked, inspecting the butterfly designs in the stitching.

Law dropped the pervert to the floor, ignoring his pained wheezing as he stepped up to inspect the gown more thoroughly. He ran some numbers in his head, touching and turning over the clothing in his hands, checking the length and the tensile strength.

And tried his damnedest not to think of how she’d look wearing it…

He grunted before finally shaking his head. “There won’t be enough, at the very least you’d be able to make a pair of curtains for the porthole, but other than that…”

Kaiza nodded. “I see,” she stated, glancing around one last time before sliding on her newly purchased coat, the hood nearly obscuring her face in shadow, “I believe I am finished here then.”

“Good,” Law growled, picking up one of her bags while she gathered up the others, giving a rough kick to the clerk in passing as they made their way to the doors. He was in a piss poor mood now and wanted nothing more than to go back to the sub, but they still needed to check the local pharmacy. His hand clenched in agitation and he paused when he realized he was still grasping the gown.

He almost threw it away, when his mouth suddenly got ahead of his brain. “Kai-ya, what was it that you liked about this fabric?”

She shrugged dismissively, pushing open the doors and letting the cold air encompass them. “I just like butterflies,” she murmured, holding the door for him as he passed, “But I’m sure I can find more appropriate material later.”

Gazing at the slip, he hummed in agreement, letting her lead the way to the pharmacy. He pinched the material between his fingers, the weave smooth and silky to the touch.

Law glanced at Kaiza’s retreating back, the fur of her jacket bristling in the wind.

“Butterflies, huh?”

He pocketed it without a second thought.


	5. Chapter 5

“Kai-ya… what’s this about?” Law protested tiredly, his footsteps staggering as the woman in question led him down the hall, her hand clamped tightly over his wrist.

They were deceptively delicate, her hands… With fingers that were long and thin, the nails unblunted, and as gentle in touch as the wingbeats of a butterfly. He’d seen how gingerly she handled the brush while combing Bepo’s fur or the way they fluttered skillfully as she wound bandages around a crewmate’s arm.

Yet, he’d borne witness to those same hands cracking through a grown man’s trachea with ease.

While her powers may be gone, Kaiza hardily seemed hindered by the prospect. If anything, she relished her newfound humanity, always curious about an object’s texture or the simple pleasure of feeling another’s body heat.

 _I wonder if she misses them,_  Law mused, the persistent drone of the sub’s engine filling his ears as he admired the way Kaiza’s hair swayed side to side,  _I’ll have to ask her later._

He blinked–hard–when he realized that her lips were moving. They’d stopped walking and he hadn’t even noticed.

Law shook his head to clear the fog in his brain. “Ah, Kai-ya I didn’t catch that,” he muttered, feeling a bit miffed that he’d zoned out. He needed another cup of coffee. 

The stare Kaiza gave him… was remarkably unimpressed, with a combination of disappointment and exasperation. “You have not slept in over seventy-two hours,” she reported flatly, a frown on her lips, “In that time you have worked non-stop without breaks or rest, so I have taken it upon myself to pull you from your duties, Taichou.”

He could hardily believe what he was hearing and Law gaped at the woman in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“The crew was growing concerned with your increasingly deteriorating state,” Kaiza explained, “but were too cowardly to confront you themselves, so I volunteered.” Her free hand clamped down on the nearest door handle and pushed it open with a resounding clang as it swung into the wall. 

Law blinked as he realized that they were standing in front of her quarters. “Then why are we here? My room is in the opposite direction.”

“I predict a ninety percent probability that you will become engrossed in yet another project if you were to stay in your chambers at this time,” she replied, tugging him into her room without preamble, making him stumble at the unexpected force behind the movement, “You will stay here.”

He scowled, a growl gargling in his throat at the audacity. “I don’t like being ordered around, Kai-ya,” Law hissed, twisting his wrist out of her grasp.

She tilted her head, the door closing behind her with a snap, her palm resting on the steel. “It isn’t an order, it’s an interventive suggestion,” she said, raising her hand to flick the down the lock, the latch ringing poignantly, “using force if necessary…” she added, the heels of her boots clicking against the floor as she took a prowling step forward… 

An ominous shiver wracked Law’s spine as he suddenly remembered why he’d kept her as one of his front line fighters. He tensed as those heterochromatic eyes of her narrowed, her knuckles cracking with a casual flex of her fingers.

Then she rushed him, her arm snaking across his chest to pull him down with her as she jumped. Law yelped, startled by the uncharacteristic aggression, the room tilting while they tumbled into Kaiza’s extensive bedding. The woman had a strange habit of creating large nests of blankets and pillows, and couldn’t seem to get comfortable unless she’d practically made a barricade around herself.

Suffice to say, they had to at least double their inventory to accommodate for it… otherwise the linen closet would have been noticeably barren.

The soft fabric engulfed them, and Law snarled as he struggled against the persistent otherworlder. “This is mutiny!” he barked, grunting as she pinned his arms to his sides. She was surprisingly adept at grappling, and it wasn’t long before he found himself trapped in a full body lock from behind, her arms and legs wrapped around him like a constrictor.

“Please do not resist, Taichou,” she whispered in his ear and Law choked at the almost seductive (if a bit menacing) edge to her voice. She’d never sounded like  _that_  before, her inflection dropped low and dripping with promise. He hadn’t thought she was even capable of it…

But now, he was suddenly intimately aware of just how close her body was. Her lithe form pressed tightly against his back and the way her long legs coiled around his own… The heady scent of her bed sheets… The faint tickling against the shell of his ear while she breathed… The rise and fall of her chest…

If he wasn’t fully awake before, he certainly was now. Coffee be damned.

Law swallowed thickly, his body flushing so warm he shivered.  _There’s no fucking way I’m going to get any rest like this,_  he thought, nervous anticipation coiling in his stomach. Kaiza tightened her hold in response to his quivering, a thrumming purr escaping her throat while her hands kneaded at his clothes and hair (his hat had vanished at some point during the struggle) in an attempt to comfort him. 

“Relax, Taichou,” she murmured, her nails scraping at his scalp in what would have been a soothing manner if he wasn’t so keyed up, “You need to calm yourself or you’ll never sleep.”

 _No shit,_  he mused, taking in a deep shaky breath before saying aloud, “Kai-ya, this is… _improper_.”

“I understand your frustration, but I fervently believe this is for your own good,” Kaiza stated sternly, her robotic timbre returning while she lectured him, only to soften into silk as she continued, “I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate once you’ve had proper rest and your head is clear.”

“… That’s not what I meant…” Law deadpanned weakly, trying in vain to ignore the double meaning of her words. She didn’t mean to imply it that way and he knew it, but a traitorous– _lecherous_ –part of his brain latched onto the phrase  _‘accept_ any _punishment’_  with an inappropriate level of fervency.

Law wet his dry lips with a darting tongue.

Then Kaiza pressed his head against her chest and he stiffened at the familiarity of the gesture. He could hear her heart beating, steady and strong, completely calm in the face of their proximity. Law couldn’t help but feel a brief flash of envy at that, wishing for a moment that she could be just as flustered as he was.

“What is it about sleep that you despise so, Law?” Kaiza asked, her tone gentle while her fingers carded through his hair.

His breathing stuttered at the use of his name (never mind the question), the sound passing through her lips with an affection she’d never verbally displayed before. Law got the feeling he was experiencing a side of Kaiza that she rarely–if ever–showed anyone. A softness that lay deep beneath her impassive facade.  _Is she doing this… because she’s worried about me?_  he wondered, his body beginning to relax at this realization.

Sure she showed affection in a physical sense, such as hugs or the occasional cuddle pile with Bepo. But her voice never lost its dry quality, like she was still keeping a part of herself distant… at least, until now anyway.

“Taichou?” she questioned, reverting back to her title for him. A little bit of distance set between them again.

He didn’t like that.

“Law,” he stated with more force than intended, his voice echoing in the room loudly. He winced at that, a bit embarrassed that he’d been so unintentionally noisy, and thus lowered his tone for his next words, “Call me by my name… when we’re alone.”

Her breathing stilled at that, a significant moment passing before it resumed with a sigh. “Of course…  _Law_ ,” Kaiza whispered, her voice seeming to caress through his name with significant care. She rested her cheek against his head, her binding limbs loosening to allow him more freedom of movement.

If he’d wanted to… he could have attempted another escape in that moment.

But he didn’t.

Instead, Law stayed where he was, feeling the rise and fall of Kaiza’s chest as she breathed. Listening as her lungs filled with air, the steady drum of her heart punctuating the rhythm. There was a question still hanging in the air that he had yet to answer, but he wasn’t sure how he wanted to go about it. If at all.  _Should I tell her?_  he thought, the numerous causes of his insomnia looming like spectres in his mind.

As someone who was tuned into the horrors of her realm’s afterlife, would his dreams be merely parlor tricks in comparison?

He took a breath.

“Something bothers you,” she said, her other hand coming up to rest on his forearm, “If you don’t wish to speak of it, I–”

“I have nightmares… about my past,” Law blurted out, cutting her off, finally deciding that it was just better to just rip off the bandage now and deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. Kaiza never set any expectations for him… She didn’t hold him on some sort of pedestal like his crew did. 

He had no reason to keep up appearances.

She kept quiet as he spoke, stroking his hair as he detailed every horror he’d witnessed. Every fear… The rise of Amber-Lead Syndrome. The fall of Flevance. His escape among the corpses of the dead. Meeting Doflamingo. His hellish training. Cora-san…

By the end of it, he was just… tired. His chest felt pained, like all of those events physically burdened him and he just wanted it all to _stop_. But he couldn’t, because Cora-san’s will hadn’t been fulfilled. Doflamingo was still out and a threat and–

Kaiza thrummed in a purr, pulling him close again, her nose nuzzling into his hair. “I understand Law, truly I do.”

His mouth opened before he could stop it, growling out, “I don’t want your pity.”

“And I give you none,” she replied simply, shifting her body so that they both lay on their side, her form cradling his, “We are both victims of circumstance, Law. We both have our demons…”

He was about to ask her what she meant, when she sat up, caging her arms on either side of him, her face cast in shadow from the ceiling light. Her eyes held a kindness in them, and Law was struck speechless by her gaze. By her sad smile.

“I cannot defeat your demons, only you have the power to do so. But I can at least ease the burden, and guard your slumber… if you’ll allow me, Captain.”

Law flushed with heat at that and… something else. It wasn’t quite  _want_  or  _desire–_ because lord knows he’d felt that plenty of times throughout Kaiza’s tenure here–but it was close. It settled deep within his chest, a pleasant warmth that fluttered like a thousand wings.

He took a deep breath, the air hissing between his teeth, before he whipped his arms up to drag her down with him. Kaiza grunted in surprise at the role reversal, her face now planted against his chest and her legs trapped under his own.

“Stupid,” Law grumbled, his face warm with what could only be the brightest blush, “I told you to call me by my name.”

Kaiza gave a humored trill, her arms snaking around to give his ribs a gentle squeeze. “Of course. My sincerest apologies~”

“And don’t call me Captain… I like Taichou better.”

“As you wish,” she murmured, snuggling deeper into his arms, “Rest now, Law…”

His eyes drooped, the fluffy comfort of Kaiza’s nest finally having its effect. He would have muttered something about her giving him a order, but the words were lost in a huge, jaw-cracking yawn.

And then everything fell into comfortable darkness.

–

He awoke an undetermined amount of time later, his body well-rested and feeling like he’d been sleeping on a cloud. The room was dark, leading Law to guess that Kaiza had gotten up at some point to flip the switch. He peered about in the gloom, the faint light from the porthole window showing that they were still submerged and that another day had dawned.

A soft whisper of breath sounded in the stillness, and Law turned to see Kaiza curled up nearby, her shoulders rising with each inhale. Her hands were fisted into the fabric of his sweatshirt, clenching tightly even in the depths of unconsciousness. Her hair fanned out widely across the bedding, a few strands twisting around her face and mouth, her pink lips pouting as her cheek pressed against the bed.

She looked so peaceful.

Gently, Law reached a hand out and brushed aside the stray strands, tucking them behind her ear.

Kaiza hummed, mumbling something incoherent before shifting a little closer, her face mashing even deeper against the blankets.

The hair fell back into place.

Law snorted.

 _It certainly says something of your trust if I can touch your face while you sleep and you don’t even wake, doesn’t it Kai-ya?_  Law thought, a wry smile curling his lips as he observed the slumbering woman. His eyes flicked over the jagged scar on her left eye and he traced it curiously with a finger, pushing her hair aside as he went.

“Not a scar on you, except for this one,” Law mumbled under his breath, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone, “Is this one of your demons, I wonder?”

As he expected, there was no response.

He stared at her lips again… he wondered…

Shaking his head with a sigh, he grumbled, “Damn it,” and sat up slowly, so he wouldn’t disturb her. He gently disentangled her fingers from his shirt and stood, swiping up his discarded hat in the process.

“I need to get out of here before I do something stupid,” he growled, unlocking the door and swinging it open on thankfully silent hinges. He didn’t dare glance back while he closed the door, knowing that if he did so he might not have the willpower to leave.

Though if he had, he might have noticed the narrow gleam of one red eye.


	6. Chapter 6

Silence on the  _ Polar Tang, _ quite frankly, wasn’t a state that existed in any true capacity.

If it wasn’t the constant hum of the submarine’s motor, the clang of maintenance, or simply the hull creaking from water pressure, the voices of the crew were sure to find a way to break any solace one could find—the confined spaces making it impossible to get away. Most, upon joining, took a bit of an adjustment period to get over any lingering claustrophobia, with a few taking a little longer than others to acclimate to the environment.

Law had long grown used to the persistent clatter and tight quarters—the prolonged exposure hardly an issue.

Despite this, cabin fever was definitely a concern after long days of submersion. And it was with a unanimous sigh of relief that they surfaced, cycling out the stale air.

They spent a day of it, the Grand Line actually playing nice for once, and everyone got to enjoy fresh air and sun, the cook breaking out some easy meals and drinks so they could picnic on deck. Law stood by as his crew caroused amongst themselves, leaning against Bepo’s bulk as his navigator enjoyed the fresh air in his own way, napping in the cooler atmosphere.

He noted that there was one among them that didn’t join in the festivities, and his eyes trailed over her form.

“She’s been like that for a while,” Ikkaku pointed out, large lips pursed as she too glanced at Kaiza, the woman’s back to them as she stared out at sea, her long hair billowing in the breeze. “If you get close enough you can hear her muttering to herself. Did something happen?”

Law’s mouth twisted, not quite grimacing.  _ More like what almost happened, _ he reflected, thinking back to that moment in her room and the direction his thoughts had gone. The way she’d whispered in his ear and how her body pressed against his own before they both fell asleep, tangled in each other’s embrace. He still remembered her soft breathing when he woke up and the feel of her cheek under his fingers.

He’d been avoiding her ever since. Because how in the hell was he supposed to interpret  _ that,  _ aside from the obvious? He sure as shit didn’t know, and was hoping to any god above or below that he wasn’t misinterpreting something purely platonic—because  _ that _ would just be extra icing on the Awkward Cake.

“Nothing happened,” Law ground out, annoyed and glaring away from Ikkaku’s curious gaze. Though whether he was irritated at her nosiness or that he’d actually  _ wanted _ something to happen with Kaiza, he couldn’t decide—too conflicted.

“You sure? You’ve been surly all week, Captain.”

“Ikkaku...” he warned.

“Right, right. Anyway, here,” she said, shoving a round  _ something _ in his face that made Law blink and rear his head back, “This should cheer you up.”

It was a plate of rice balls and...

“Dumplings?” he asked, raising a brow at the round, white dollops of steamed dough sitting a little too close to his favorite food. He didn’t like bread and his crew knew it, so why— 

“Oh, those are pork buns,” she explained, planting the dish in his hands with a move so sudden he almost dropped it, “They’re her favorite. Good luck, Captain~”

It didn’t take him long to parse that sentence, but it still took longer than it should have. “Her fav—wait,  _ Ikkaku _ —” he protested, but she was already gone, a wide grin on her face as she wove her way through the crowd, curly hair bouncing with every step. Several crewman that caught his gobsmacked stare gave him encouraging smiles of their own and a few thumbs up, Shachi and Penguin among them grinning like idiots.

_ Meddling bastards, _ Law griped, feeling more than a little mortified that  _ everyone _ had clued in to the source of his angst. He thumped his head against Bepo’s side, the Mink growling out a long snore in response, mumbling something about fish before going quiet again. Law’s eye twitched, tempted to chuck the entire plate overboard and order the crew to submerge as punishment… But that would be throwing a fit  _ and  _ a waste of food, and Law told himself he most certainly was above both of those things.

So, swallowing his ire and a modicum of nervousness, he stood, plate in hand and scowling like a thunderstorm. 

Crossing the deck with the entire crew watching was the most tense he’d felt in a long time. It seemed like every eye was trained on his movements, like a Marine searchlight zeroed in on his position. The back of his neck prickled when someone wolf whistled and Law whipped around to sneer at the perpetrator, gritting his teeth.

They promptly scattered like cockroaches to escape his ire, beaming like the little shits they were all the while. Law just sighed.

_ Why do I put up with them? _ he wondered, turning on his heel, a smile coming unbidden to his lips as he continued his march.

The clamor of the party faded as he drew closer and Law took a moment to breathe in the scent of the sea, the smell calming his racing heart, before hopping up to the deck Kaiza resided. He could hear her now, voice thrumming in a series of murmurs that sounded almost melodic, the sentences stilted like a chant.

Then she jabbed her finger toward the water. “ **Hadō Number One:** **_Shō,_** ” she intoned, a clear command… One with no obvious follow through. A failure. Her lips thinned and she retracted the hand to stare at it, expression contemplative as she flexed her fingers.

“What are you doing?” Law asked, curiosity finally getting the best of him as he drew even with her, leaning an arm on the railing.

Lips pursing, she glared at her hand, thin brows knitting together. “Taking into account my continued battle prowess, despite it being lesser that it was before—I believe I may have retained at least  _ some _ of my power,” she explained, gaze flickering over to meet his, “Though it’s exact nature remains to be seen—isn’t that a lot?”

Law blinked. Her last comment had been directed to the plate in his hand and he cleared his throat, flushing. “It’s for both of us,” he grumbled, holding the dish out for her inspection, her face notably blank, “Onigiri is a preference of mine and they uh… mentioned you might like the other one.”

“Nikuman.” She nodded, gingerly picking one up out of the batch, her expression softening as a light smile graced her features. He stiffened, heart rate skyrocketing. “Yes, they are my favorite. Thank you… Law,” she said, eyes meeting his own.

They were warm; like melted chocolate and mulled wine, the heterochromia of her irises deeping in color as her eyelids curved with her lips, simultaneously freezing him in place and suffusing him with a heat so encompassing Law wouldn’t have been surprised if he was on fire.

The distance he put between them for the week hadn’t done squat… 

And again, he caught himself staring at those cursed lips; the lush color drawing him in like a spell—the way a tooth dragged over the plaint flesh sending a wanting quiver down his spine, his own teeth aching with the need to mimic the action. Jumbled thoughts catered to the fantasy, and Law nearly growled at the idea of how her soft bottom lip would feel caught between his teeth, and the sounds she’d make as a result. He wondered how she would taste… the way she’d move… 

Their eyes met again, Law having to drag his gaze away from her mouth, his breathing a little stilted.

Her stare smoldered, pupils dilated into dark pools. 

His heart skipped a beat… 

And he promptly panicked.

Snatching up a rice ball, he stuffed it in his mouth and turned away, face and ears burning so hard he was certain to be luminous.

_ This is getting ridiculous,  _ he fretted, nearly choking on his food when he tried to swallow the first mouthful, his throat tight from nervousness,  _ How the hell am I supposed to act normal around her when I feel like… like… _

Law couldn’t…  _ wouldn’t  _ process the thought any further, and the sea’s horizon wasn’t offering any answers to the conundrum he’d found himself in. They ate their food in a strained quiet, the silence that was once such a rare commodity on the ship suddenly an unwelcome guest, looming over the pair like a shadow.

“Have I done something to offend?” Kaiza questioned softly, her gentle voice as effective at cutting through the atmosphere as a blade through fog, making Law flinch at the directness.

A grimace twisted his face, stomach dropping to what felt like his shoes, the food he’d just eaten feeling like lead. “No.”

“You’re visage says otherwise,” she stated dryly, and Law turned to see her countenance had returned to its customary neutrality, no sign of the tension from earlier on her face—though he did note she was holding herself a bit stiffly. Bracing. Her head tilted as she pointed out, “You’ve been avoiding me. Why?”

_ Because I am intensely, irrevocably,  _ **_painfully_ ** _ attracted to you and I don’t trust myself not to make an utter fool of myself, _ he didn’t say aloud, fiddling with the empty plate in his hands. Instead, he licked his lips nervously and said, “I’m not certain how to address… uh,” he motioned with his hand, pointing to himself—then her—then back, “ _ This _ between us,”

Kaiza gave him her flattest look, voice dour as she said, “Law, you are a doctor; just  _ say  _ ‘unresolved sexual tension,’ we aren’t children.”

He sputtered helplessly, nearly dropping the plate as it slipped from nerveless fingers, forcing him to fumble to catch it. Face burning, Law carefully set it aside and swallowed thickly. “Fine. Yes,” he reluctantly admitted, avoiding eye contact and rubbing the back of his neck, “And  _ that’s _ the problem.”

At the furrowing of her brows, Law prickled, knowing just how that sounded. “Look,” he started, trying to elucidate on his explanation, “I’m human.  _ Just _ a human… and you—well—you’re…”

When she shot him a curious gaze, his flush deepened and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans a little petulantly. “...You’re  _ basically _ a goddess,” he muttered, turning away, embarrassed at the admission.

The silence was deafening… 

Law felt his guts wither the longer it lingered.

Then, he heard Kaiza make a strange, strangled noise before her voice filtered over, sounding distinctly amused. “Well, that is certainly unexpected and ah…  _ different _ as far as compliments go,” she stated, and Law twisted about just in time to see her covering a genial smile with her hand, eyes showcasing a playful glint that he was certain he’d never seen before, “Though I suppose that wasn’t your intention?”

Law groaned, now completely flustered and closing his eyes in exasperation. “Don’t make fun of me,” he lamented, though the corners of his lips did twitch, the threat of a grin imminent—somewhat relieved by her response, “I may not be religious to any sect, but even I can recognize the definitions of a deity.”

Kaiza hummed, acknowledging his statement, her hand dropping from her mouth to the railing, lithe fingers tracing the imperfections in the paint. “Then, I must confess that our definitions differ,” she said, drawing closer, nails absently tapping on the metal, “My existence is no more significant than the next man or beast, as I too am bound by the laws of the world.”

Heart thumping, Law tried not to show his amusement at the woman coyly sidling up to him, finding himself more than a little interested in this new flirtatious side to Kaiza. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder at this bizarre rollercoaster of an encounter though; from offering a plate piled high with food, to wanting to ravish her after a heated stare-down, to an existential crisis, and finally, to flirting while having a theistic debate… He was so flipped around at this point he was surprised to still be standing.

It was kind of exciting.

“But you’ve existed within a plane—several planes—beyond the perceptions of living mortals,” he argued, looking down at her, absently noting that her forehead came to about his chin in height, “Doesn’t that have significance?”

“Hardly,” she denied, still smiling, though it appeared to be a little smug now, “Several of those ‘living mortals’ as you put it, have also stepped foot into those very same realities. I’m most definitely not special in that regard.”

She was so close now, and Law found himself caging her in despite his earlier reservations, his hands braced on the railing on either side of her, face a few mere centimeters from her own. He could smell her shampoo, a sweet orange.

“You’re an emissary of death,” he whispered one last claim, instinctively knowing she had yet another retort, but wanting to prolong the game all the same just for the sake of it. Their breaths mingled, his lips tingling in anticipation.

“So are you,” she teased, and he finally broke into a grin, nose brushing hers, “Or does your epithet mean nothing?”

“At this point, I’m not sure,” he replied, tone taking on a wistful edge, goading her on—her eyelids hooding seductively as a result. His hands rose to cradle her head between his palms, fingers threading through her hair as he drew closer. “I’ve just had an existential crisis, I might never recover.”

“Oh my god, it’s happening you guys,” a voice squeaked just a little too loudly to be a proper whisper.

Law froze, feeling his eyes widen at the same time he witnessed Kaiza’s give a startled blink.

“PENGUIN!” Several voices screeched at once and Law whipped his head to the side just in time to see his entire crew duck below the railing, the rotten bastards having been spying from the lower deck.

“Will you assholes get lost?!” Law barked, face practically exploding into heat, mostly in anger at being interrupted. He bolted to where they had ducked away, his long legs crossing the distance easily.

“Oh, shit! Run!” he heard—likely Shachi—squeal just before he reached them, the sounds of multiple pairs of booted feet clomping away below—the repeated series of “sorry’s” sounding from Bepo a telling clue that he too was involved.

“If you jackasses have time to fuck around, clean the deck and prepare to submerge!” he roared just as he hit the railing, his hands clamping down so hard on the metal his knuckles turned white.

A cackle sounded from the crowd just as Law glimpsed them rounding the corner, his eye twitching as he noticed their grinning faces. “Ahaha! Captain’s embarrassed!” Clione crowed, making Law grind his teeth in agitation.

“Latrine duty!” he shouted, promptly shutting the man up.

His fuming came to an abrupt halt the moment a throaty chuckle sounded behind him, and Law sheepishly turned to see Kaiza giving the direction his crew fled a fond look. “They really do make one feel at home, don’t they?” she asked, turning those smiling eyes on him, her head tilting minutely at his baffled expression as if to ask “what?”

Law felt himself blush, but he didn’t duck his head away this time, his gaze pinned to her own. Hopeful. “Yeah… yeah they do.”


End file.
